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Darlene Victoria (Zito) Barrett

By Howard B. Owens

Darlene Victoria (Zito) Barrett of Arlington Texas passed away Sunday, December 21, 2014 at the age of 61 at Baylor All Saints in Fort Worth,Tx after her courageous battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her Loving family. She was born in Batavia New York daughter of the late Frank (Marion) Zito and June Shirley (Donnelly) Zito. Darlene was preceded in death by her brother Frankie Zito, her nephew Gary “G.Z.” Zito. She is survived by her husband Bobby Barrett, daughter Fara (Jason) Keller, son Bobby Joe and his girlfriend Leslie Wickliffe along with her beloved grandchildren Ashlyn, Britlyn, Cooper, Dylan, Camryn and Greysen. Brothers Kevin (Alice) Zito of Wyoming, New York, Gary ( Becky) Zito of Everson, Pennsylvania, Calvin  (Carlotta) Zito of Boise, Idaho and sister Charlene Shope of Arlington, Texas and Many nieces and nephews. Services will be held at the convenience of the family, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the lung cancer alliance. 

Karen's Yarn, Paper, Scissors wins Downtown holiday window display contest

By Howard B. Owens

Karen's Yarn, Paper, Scissors, at 39 Jackson St., Batavia, won this year's window decorating contest sponsored by the Business Improvement District. The business receives a $250 cash prize.

Second place was WBTA, 113 Main St., and The Insurance Center, 50 Main St.

The judges were impressed not only with the creativity of Karen's display, but the use of paper, which is, of course, related to her business.

Photo: A snowy owl

By Howard B. Owens

Here's one of the snowy owls out at the airport in a photo by Dylan Brew, of Schoen Productions.

Red Kettle campaign needs $3,500 by Dec. 30 to meet goal

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Salvation Army’s 2014 Red Kettle Campaign came to an end on December 24th $3,500 short of its $69,000 goal. Major Robert Kurtz, Corps Commanding Officer, stated, “The people in Genesee County have been very generous with their time and money; individuals, groups, and organizations have donated over 5,000 volunteer hours this season. The campaign was impacted by a short fund-raising season plus the snowstorm in November. The snowstorm affected many families in a variety of ways.”

Red Kettle donations will be accepted until Dec. 30 at 4 p.m., at which time the campaign will close for the year. Monetary donations can be mailed to: The Salvation Army ATTN: KETTLE CAMPAIGN 529 E. Main St., Batavia, New York 14020. Please note in the check memo “Red Kettle Campaign."

Money raised during this campaign is used to support the year-round mission of The Salvation Army in meeting basic needs of food and shelter, crisis financial assistance, programs serving youth and seniors, and life-skill programs.

Flu outbreak prompts new visitation rules at UMMC

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

With the continued increase in the number of influenza cases at the Hospital and in the community, United Memorial Medical Center will be strictly following established visitor guidelines and implementing restrictions in order to safeguard the health of our patients.

• Effective immediately, patients in our facility will be allowed only two (2) visitors at one time between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., except where more specific hours are posted for the care unit.

• No visitors under the age of 14 years will be allowed.

• Maternity patients may have visits from their spouse/birthing partner, grandparents of the baby, and others with no more than two visitors at a time. Siblings of the infant, under the age of 14 will not be allowed to visit.

• Individuals with a sore throat, runny nose, fever, or other influenza-type symptoms should NOT visit patients.

• A visitor, who is coughing persistently or showing signs of infectious disease such as influenza, will be given a mask and asked to leave the facility.

As an organization we understand the importance of loved ones and friends in the healing process. Exceptions to the visitor policy must be approved by the unit manager or nursing supervisor prior to the visitor’s arrival at the hospital. These restrictions have been put into place to protect those with weakened or fragile immune systems, and those who care for them, from harm during the influenza outbreak.

Everyone should remember to use appropriate hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette to prevent the spread of influenza. Symptoms may include fever, muscle aches, sore throat, cough or nasal congestion. Individuals with fever over 100˚F and any of the symptoms listed are urged to stay home, seek medical advice as necessary and limit the number of people exposed. Individuals with influenza are contagious for 24 hours prior to exhibiting symptoms.

Photos: Boxing Day hockey at Williams Park

By Howard B. Owens

As they have done for who knows how many years -- the couple of guys I talked to didn't seem to know -- a group of friends met in Williams Park this morning for their annual Boxing Day street hockey match.

Photo: Wind-damaged silo in Elba

By Howard B. Owens

A reader sent in this picture of a wind-toppled silo on his property on Transit Road, Elba. He said it came down overnight.

Law and Order: Perry man accused of selling drugs in Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

Eric N. Ayers, 30, of Covington Street, Perry, is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 4th, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 5th. Ayers is accused of selling buprenorphine (suboxone) to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force in October in the City of Batavia. Ayers was arraigned and jailed without bail.

Adam W. McGill, 36, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and speeding. McGill was stopped at 1:37 a.m. Saturday on Cedar Street, Batavia, by Officer Devon Pahuta. 

Tiffany A. Reed, 20, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Reed allegedly sent a threatening message to another person through Facebook.

Grand Jury Report: Man accused of causing brain injury to a child in Bethany

By Howard B. Owens

Anthony P. Dibble is indicted on counts of reckless assault of a child and assault in the second degree. Dibble is accused of causing a serious physical injury to the brain of a child less than 5 years old by shaking the child or slamming or throwing the child so as to impact the child's head on a hard surface or object. He is accused of intending to cause physical injury to a person under 7 years of age and caused such an injury by biting the person. The alleged crimes were reported Aug. 11 in the Town of Bethany.

Carrie A. Stewart is indicted on counts of burglary in the third degree, petit larceny and criminal contempt in the second degree. Stewart is accused of entering Walmart on Sept. 14 with the intent of committing a crime inside the building. Once inside Walmart, Stewart allegedly stole party supplies, books, dolls, toys, an Easy Bake Oven and a karaoke machine. She allegedly violated a court order that required her to stay away from a person at Walmart.

Robert J. Propst is indicted on counts of robbery in the first degree, two counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. On Aug. 6, Propst allegedly use force to steal property from a victim on Pearl Street, Batavia, while wielding a knife. He's accused of stealing property from the person, including a Visa credit card.

Photos: Local bird watching

By Howard B. Owens

Dylan Brew, of Schoen Productions, shared these photos he took of some feather-covered visitors he had today.

He identified them (though I'm not sure I'm posting them in the right order) as: Carolina wren, white-throated sparrow, tufted titmouse, red-bellied woodpecker.

Two Genesee County football players named to All-Greater Rochester Team

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia's Dominick Mogavero and Le Roy's Mike McMullen have both been named to the All-Greater Rochester Football Team for 2014.

McMullen was listed on the team as a quarterback and utility player. Mogavero, who played running back and linebacker for the Blue Devils, was named as a linebacker.

Greg Mruczek and Anthony Gallo, from Batavia, were named to the second team.

Honorable mentions went to:

  • Ethan Henry (Le Roy)
  • Tom Kelso (Le Roy)
  • Kody Lamkin (Le Roy)
  • Ryan McQuillen (Le Roy)
  • Mike Shepard (Le Roy)
  • Jarrett Laskett (Batavia)
  • Casey Arnold (Oakfield-Alabama)
  • Samuel Browne (Alexander)
  • Allen Chatt (Oakfield-Alabama)
  • Ryan Emery (Oakfield-Alabama)
  • Andrew Gottler (Elba/Byron-Bergen)
  • Bryan Hallenbeck (Elba/Byron-Bergen)
  • John Hochmuth (Elba/Byron-Bergen)
  • Josh Hylkema (Alexander)
  • Josh Johnson (Batavia Notre Dame)
  • Tyler Laird (Alexander)
  • Ethan Osborne (Batavia Notre Dame)
  • Cal Neurohr (Pembroke)
  • Jacob Riggs (Alexander)
  • Devon Schroeder (Oakfield-Alabama)
  • Mike Shanley (Elba/Byron-Bergen)
  • Zach Shilvock (Alexander)
  • Dakota Swimline (Pembroke)
  • Jack Thomas (Pembroke)
  • Steele Truax (Elba/Byron-Bergen)
  • Reice Woodward (Oakfield-Alabama)
  • Joe Zickl (Batavia Notre Dame)

Photos from 2014: A tribute to the firefighters who serve Genesee County

By Howard B. Owens

This is the third year we've created a slide show of photos from 2014 of our firefighters as a way to honor those who serve our community in an often difficult, sometimes dangerous job, and many times an emotionally draining one, too. We thank them for their service to our community.

There are not as many opportunities to get photos of police officers on the job, but we also want to extend a thank you to the members of our local law enforcement community for all they do to protect and serve.

To find out how to become a volunteer firefighter, visit ReadyGenesee.com.

A gift of a bus tire in the Walmart parking lot puts wayfarers back on the road

By Howard B. Owens

On a dreary Tuesday afternoon, a reporter and an off-duty deputy, both a little jaded and cynical after years on the job, run into each other in the Target parking lot and pause to visit.

The conversation soon turns to an old, gray school bus with a spray-painted sign hanging from one side. "Tire Needed," it reads.

"Scam," one tells the other.

"Certainly," the other replies.

"You see it all the time," one says. "They'll go from town-to-town with their story and try and take advantage of people."

"They're after all of those Christmas shoppers," says the other.

On Christmas even morn, Tig and Jesus have moved their bus to the Walmart parking lot and begin to worry they won't be leaving. 

Over the previous 24 hours, three people had stopped and said they had bus tires to spare. None returned.

One person stopped and gave them $10, which would prompt Tig to later remark, "If we're running a scam, we're not very good at it."

Jesus told Tig, "We're stuck."

Tig said, "no, it's Christmas Eve. We'll have a Christmas Eve miracle."

The deputy, working an afternoon shift on the day before Christmas, happened by the Walmart parking lot and saw the bus, with its sign and decided to stop and roust the occupants.

"What's the scam?" he asks.

"No scam," Tig tells him. He shows him the tire. They chat and the deputy peppers the men with questions.

"Wait here," he tells them, and he returns to his patrol vehicle and gets on his phone.

In a bit, he comes back and tells them help is on the way. He called a local repair shop, Parmenter Tire, and it turned out Parmenter had an extra, used bus tire and a staff member available to make the change.

Jim McDonald from Parmenter showed up an hour later and made the swap.

The tire is worth at least $300. The off-hour service call would typically be at least $300. Tig and Jesus (pronounced (hay-zeus) were asked to pay nothing.

"See," said Tig, "I told you there would be a miracle."

Suspicious white male with white beard on Fisher Road

By Howard B. Owens

A caller reports seeing a while male with a white beard walking on Fisher Road, Oakfield, carrying a sack.

A female appeared to be walking behind him, and then ducked behind a residence.

A deputy is dispatched to check it out.

Doctor reports no brain activity for Jeffrey Deats following CAT scan

By Howard B. Owens

Jeffrey L. Deats, the Batavia resident charged with the death of 6-month-old Chandler Zuchs, is showing no brain activity, according to a letter from District Attorney Lawrence Friedman asking that Deats be released from custody on his own recognizance.

The letter was filed with City Court this morning.

Friedman states that Bill Zipfel, superintendent of the Genesee County Jail, informed him that a doctor at ECMC contacted the jail following a CAT scan on Deats and found there is no brain activity in the patient.

Deats is not expected to survive.

"Zipfel also told me that guarding the defendant 24/7 is creating a terrible burden on his staff and he requested that they be relieved of their duty and the defendant be released on his own recognizance," Friedman wrote.

A felony hearing scheduled for this morning in City Court was cancelled.

Deats was arrested Wednesday following an investigation into the death the previous weekend of Baby Chandler.

Over the weekend, Deats was found hanging in his cell by bedsheets. CPR was performed and he was taken to UMMC and later transfered to ECMC.

For previous coverage of the case, click here.

Batavia's win streak in Lion's Tournament broken by U-Prep, 59-55

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia's dominance of the Lion's Club Tournament at GCC came to a shocking end Tuesday night as the Blue Devils dropped an opening-round match to University Prep 59-55.

Head Coach Buddy Brasky was pretty blunt after the game. "We didn't execute our principles," he said.

U-Prep showed up with a team more skilled and more disciplined than seen in the tournament last year.

The team from the all-boys charter school in Rochester will face Notre Dame in Monday's final after the Fighting Irish crushed Albion, 74-60.

The Blue Devils win streak in the tournament goes back at least 10 years and has traditionally been the team to beat since its first tournament win 1989. The tournament was founded in 1982.

Batavia jumped to a quick lead to open the game and stayed just a step of ahead of the Griffins throughout much of the first half, only slipping until the final minute before the intermission to a point off the lead, 26-25.

The defensive game plan of Batavia is to hold teams to 13 or fewer points per quarter, and in the third, the Blue Devils did that, but only managed 12 points themselves.

In the final eight minutes, however, U-Prep scored 20 and Batavia's 18 wasn't enough of an answer.

"We didn't execute our principles, really, on either side of the ball as the game went on," Brasky said. "It was pretty disappointing. We had some good practices leading up to the game, but we didn't execute our fundamental principles."

Jeff Redband drained four threes and led the Blue Devils in scoring with 24 points. Jerrett Laskett and Greg Mruczek, who hit a trio of treys, including two in the closing minutes, each had 11.

For U-Prep, Jeenathan Williams scored 19 and Isaiah Brinkley and Cameron Myles had 12 apiece.

If the problem for Batavia (now 2-2) was a problem of execution, the opposite was true for Notre Dame in the nightcap.

Head Coach Mike Rapone said after the game that he's finally starting to see his team gel.

"You could see it a little bit in the second half at Attica," Rapone said. "I could see we were headed in the right direction. The first game we were OK. Oakfield, we were not good at all. With Attica I thought they are finally starting to understand.

"People don't understand it's all about understanding not only your role, but when to be in a spot and knowing that Josh is going to be here or Casey is going to be here and you've got to get there. It takes a while to get that belief. Tonight, I thought we had it."

Josh Johnson led the Irish with 27 points, all but five of those points coming in the first half when Johnson was clearly the dominant presence on the floor.

"He was getting to right spots and we were getting him the ball," Rapone said. "That's the whole combination right there. People have got to get to the spots and then we've got to find them."

Tyler Prospero came off the bench early in the game and scored 15 points, including hitting three shots from beyond the arc.

"He gave us a lift," Rapone said. "He's a good perimeter shooter.

"That's one of our strengths," he added, "our depth, our ability to run people into the game who can help us."

Looking ahead to Monday's final, Rapone knows U-Prep will present a tough challenge.

"We can't play at that frenetic pace," Rapone said. "If we play like that, it's going to be over early.  We're going to have to control the tempo, get some good shots and we've got to rebound a heck of a lot better than we did tonight."

The consolation game between Batavia and Albion is at 6:30 with the championship game to follow.

To purchase prints, click here.

County's unemployment rate drops to 5.3 percent

By Howard B. Owens

The county's unemployment rate dropped eight-tenths of a precent since last year, even while the county's overall job numbers also dipped, according to the state Department of Labor.

For November, the local unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, down from 6.1 percent in November of last year. The number of reported unemployed dropped from 1,900 to 1,600.

Year over year for November, the total number of non-farm jobs in Genesee County went from 28,900 to 28,300.

The statewide unemployment rate fell a full percentage point from 6.8 percent to 5.8 percent.

In the rest of the GLOW region, Orleans County had one of the biggest unemployment rate drops in the state, with the rate falling from 8.3 to 6.8 percent. Wyoming County's rate fell from seven percent to 6.1 percent. Livingston County dropped from 6.3 to 5.6 percent.

High-wind watch in place for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day

By Howard B. Owens

It looks like we won't have a white Christmas, but we will have a windy one.

The National Weather Service has a high wind warning in place from 8 p.m., Wednesday until 4 p.m., Thursday.

Winds from the southwest of 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 65 mph are anticipated.

Impacts could include downed trees and power lines and scattered power outages. 

High profile vehicles will find travel difficult. 

Holiday decorations could be damaged if not tied down. 

No word from Santa on his travel plans.

Law and Order: Early morning disturbance on Maple leads to a pair of arrests

By Howard B. Owens

Andrea M. Gray, 36, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, criminal mischief, 4th, criminal tampering, 3rd, coercion, 1st, and obstruction of governmental administration. During an incident first reported at 2:12 a.m. Saturday at a residence on Maple Street, Gray allegedly tore the shirt of a roommate during a fight. She then allegedly attempted to interfere with the arrest of a person accused of violating a court order by having contact with her. She allegedly attempted to coerce police officers to release the suspect by threatening to harm herself if he was not released. Gray was jailed without bail. Gray was also charged with petit larceny for allegedly taking the mobile phone of a roommate Friday and not returning it.

Russell R. Miles Jr., 46, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st. Miles was arrested following an investigation into a disturbance reported at 2:12 a.m. Saturday on Maple Street, Batavia. Miles has a previous criminal contempt conviction within the past five years. He was ordered held without bail.

Jeremiah J. Cieszynski, 27, of Warsaw, and Sally M. Sims, 24, of Warsaw, are charged with petit larceny. Cieszynski and Sims are accused of stealing clothing and sneakers valued at $125 from Kmart.

Bashard L. Joiner, 21, of Rochester, is charged with two counts of criminal trespass, 3rd. Joiner received a suspension letter from GCC on Oct. 9 and told he was not permitted on campus property. During November, Joiner was allegedly spotted several times at College Village by safety officers and video surveillance. On Dec. 10, Joiner was located in the cafeteria on campus and placed under arrest by State Police. He was jailed on $300 bail or $600 bond.

Jeannette Kathleen Moore, 44, of West Avenue, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny. Moore is accused of stealing from Kmart while employed at the store.

Katie R. Wishman, 29, of Osterhout Avenue, Batavia, is charged with assault, 2nd, criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Wishman allegedly hit another family member in the face with a mug causing an injury. This act was allegedly committed in the presence of a 3-year-old child. During the investigation, police allegedly found heroin and needles. Wishman was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Kelly A. Hasenauer, 50, of Webster Street, Batavia, is charged with falsifying business records. Hasenauer allegedly signed a fake name to a business record at UMMC's ER in an attempt to defraud.

Linda L. Snyder, 32, of Central Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Snyder allegedly threatened to fight another person at 5 p.m. on Dec. 9 at the Richmond Memorial Library.

Debra Elizabeth Webster, 46, of Route 20A, Warsaw, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or higher, unlawful possession of marijuana, speeding and failure to signal. Webster was stopped at 12:23 a.m.  Friday on Noonan Drive, Batavia, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

William James Johnson, 41, of Alleghany Road, Corfu, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, speeding and failure to keep right. Johnson was allegedly involved in an accident at 9:22 p.m. Saturday on Route 5, Pembroke, which was investigated by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Matthew Alan Hoye, 23, of Woodcrest Drive, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Hoye was arrested following a check of a roadside vehicle at 12:26 a.m., Saturday.

Peter James Curts, 25, of Main Street, Caledonia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and failure to stop at a stop sign. Curts was stopped at 11 p.m. Thursday on Parmalee Road, Le Roy, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Brett W. Short, 28, of Le Roy, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Short was charged by State Police following a traffic stop Friday morning in Batavia.

Arthur Robinson, 60, of Raleigh, NC, is charged with DWI in a commercial vehicle and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Robinson was stopped at 10 a.m. Sunday by State Police on Clinton Street Road, Stafford.

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